Mayhem lay in wait on a night when the visitors might have anticipated a bland match. England, in truth, ambushed themselves by conceding hapless goals before the interval and were, in that sense, embroiled in a terrible battle with their frailties. It was fought with a passion and the deserved draw was attained with a pair of finishes from Jermain Defoe. The substitute Carlton Cole could even have delivered victory, instead of heading high.

There were surprises for anyone who had dreaded a torpid occasion. Defoe now has seven goals from his last eight outings with his country. Some have come against weak opponents such as Andorra and it is hard to see him becoming an automatic starter. He should still take satisfaction from the knowledge that when he is as fast and sharp as this, many will doubt whether Michael Owen can displace him.

The first goal was a demonstration of the certainty that comes over poachers when they detect an opportunity. In the 49th minute, a long ball from Frank Lampard was controlled with assurance and the finish was so well placed that it clipped the inside of the post.

If Defoe had not been anticipated as a key contributor, neither was the man who set up the equaliser. The Dutch defence is markedly inferior to the remainder of the team but the substitute James Milner, on his England debut, demonstrated that better than anyone else. With 13 minutes remaining, the winger went past John Heitinga on the left and hit the ideal low ball to the edge of the six-yard box, where Defoe waited to force it home.

That same partnership had enjoyed impact earlier, even if the Tottenham Hotspur striker did head high. Milner had not been expected to catch the eye, but his Aston Villa colleague Ashley Young had found it much harder to get into the play. In fairness to the latter he was in action when the fixture was at its most intense. The slackening effect of multiple substitutions led to a gentler environment.

No matter how much credit is given to England's powers of recovery, comparable attention has to be paid to the inept defending. Only the goalkeeper Robert Green can be secretly glad of it, since the shoddiness provided a showcase for his shot-stopping.

A new season is supposed to have everyone starting with a clean record, but all that was wiped away in the first half here was the reliability that has been acquired under Capello. The errors smacked of times and managers gone by, even if the side had reasonable moments when launching attacks of their own. It was hard for those efforts to compensate for all the incompetence in mind.

Rio Ferdinand, in particular, will have dreaded his return to the dressing room at the interval. Given the ball in the right-back position after 10 minutes, he hit a weak backpass in the direction of Green. Dirk Kuyt intercepted and, with a poise that may have come as a surprise to Liverpool followers, worked his way round the goalkeeper. John Terry could not prevent the forward's shot from finding the net.

The other goal, in the 38th minute, at least ensured that Ferdinand was not the only person to be reproached. Gareth Barry gave the ball away so that Arjen Robben could burst through and after Green saved, Rafael van der Vaart swept the loose ball into the net. The normal disciplines of football at any level, let alone in the international sphere, had disappeared where England were concerned. Perhaps some players were rusty, but England's defensive record as a whole has been flawed even under this manager.

Capello believes that there must be a few minutes of silence when the team comes into the dressing room at the interval. It may have been quite a task for the manager to stick to that composed approach last night. The situation would have been worse still had a header by the unmarked Kuyt at the far post not been stopped by the legs of Green after half an hour. The goalkeeper then had to turn an attempt by Robben over the bar after the winger had torn past Glen Johnson, who could not carry out defensive duties with any conviction.

The odd aspect was that England, when in possession, had acquitted themselves fairly well. To the annoyance of those who insist that David Beckham has outstayed his welcome at international level, the veteran used the ball well. In the 23rd minute a free-kick from the right picked out Lampard, but he could not quite connect properly. There were hints there of the competence that would allow the visitors to revive from the very start of the second half.

Many substitutions ensued, but the most welcome for England would have been the withdrawal of Robben. The Real Madrid winger had been uncontainable. Johnson, in particular, had suffered. The Liverpool right-back will not be sent into exile, particularly since alternatives are scarce, but Capello must be examining that position with some urgency. This match will stay in the manager's mind and some of the memories will disturb him.